From A Table Away
by Lemonly
Summary: Hermione sees something that causes her to rethink her relationship with Ron.


_I bet you'd never guess who I saw tonight  
Guess you didn't see me in those low dim lights  
I knew who she was  
By the ring still on her hand  
Sure looked like you still wanted to be her man  
_

Hermione, surrounded by Lavender, Parvati, Padma, and Luna walked into the their favorite nice restaurant in Diagon Alley, eager to eat after the past few hours they had had. Hermione took her seat and picked up her menu, deciding on the Caesar Salad and treating her girlfriends to a bottle of white wine.

The four girls had opened up a store together, a half fashion bouquet, half bookstore in Diagon Alley, and they had had a sale that morning. The store was fairly popular and had a nice environment to it, including a coffee counter.

Hermione listened intently as Lavender began to talk about the preparations for the pre-Christmas sale, but soon her eyes traveled to the familiar head of red hair.

"What's wrong?" Lavender paused, noticing her friend's attention had moved.

"Nothing." Hermione shook her head, looking down at the puny engagement ring on her left ring finger.

"Don't lie." Parvati gave Hermione a look.

Luna and Padma let out gasps as they noticed what Hermione saw.

"Girls, it's fine." Hermione tried to prevent her friends from doing anything to her fiancé, Ron was allowed to talk to other women, even his ex-wife.

_So I guess that means that things are better  
Must not be so bad at home  
I thought it looked like you were leavin'  
But it don't  
And I heard you tell her you still love her  
So it doesn't matter what you say  
I saw it all  
From a table away  
_

The girls watched Ron and his ex-wife, Sophie-who had gone to Beauxbatons, sat close together, talking. They noticed that Sophie was wearing her engagement and wedding rings. She couldn't help but notice how extravagant Sophie's engagement ring was.

Hermione kicked herself for thinking that Ron had truly left his wife, even if she had seen the divorce papers herself. She knew that he would always love Sophie, but she had hoped that he had been able to put that behind him, especially since he had proposed to her.

She downed her glass of wine, tearing her eyes away from Ron and turning her focus back to her friends. The group quickly finished their lunch and left the restaurant.

_I thought she was pretty  
She's nothing like the things you said  
The woman you described  
Couldn't even turn your head  
The two of you look lost inside a world all your own  
Like you couldn't wait to get her alone  
_

Once back at the store, Hermione slipped the ring off her finger, slipping it and her key to their apartment into an envelope.

She walked over to the store's owl, smiling sadly as the owl took the envelope in her beak, and flew away.

"I'm gonna take off early." Hermione said before apparating to the apartment as her friends nodded their okays.

Appearing in the small flat Ron had convinced her to move into, she waved her wand and all of her possessions flew into her suitcases. Looking around one more time, she disapparated and appeared in the foyer of Grimmauld Place-she was the only one, aside from Harry, who could apparate straight into the house.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, walking down the stairs from the study.

"Hey, Harry." Hermione smiled sadly, "Do you mind if I stay here for a few days?"

"You know there's always a room here for you." Harry replied, taking her suitcases from her and walking up the stairs to Hermione's usual room. Setting her stuff down and waving his wand, it all unpacked itself, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"I went out to lunch with the girls and we saw Ron there with Sophie, obviously not on a friendly lunch. She was wearing her rings, and I couldn't help but compare. Ron loves her, he always will, and I will never be able to replace her. She will always be his dream girl." Hermione sank down onto the bed, looking defeated, "When we got back to the store, I sent him my ring and key. It's over. It's time for me to move on."

Harry didn't know what to say. He just wrapped his arms around her, hugging her, and spoke the only rules that came to mind, "He's a fool."

_So I guess that means that things are better  
Must not be so bad at home  
I thought it looked like you were leavin'  
But it don't  
And I heard you tell her you still love her  
So it doesn't matter what you say  
I saw it all  
From a table away  
_

"Where is she?!" Ron's voice carried through the house, he had just flooed to Grimmauld, knowing this was where Hermione would go.

Harry pulled himself away from the spot where he had been watching Hermione sleep for the past four hours while he worked on the book he and Hermione had been writing together for the past few years. The book was going to be the first in a series of books that rewrote classic muggle fairytales and novels into modern times.

He slowly stood up from the chair and walked silently out of the room and down to the living room, where Ron stood angrily.

"Who are you talking about?" Harry asked, giving Ron a confused look.

"Hermione!" Ron bellowed, "She just up and left. No explanation; just sending me her ring and key."

"Maybe she saw that you were cheating on her with who was _supposed_ to be your ex-wife." Harry shot back.

"We were just having lunch." Ron replied.

Harry rolled his eyes, Ron lying abilities had gotten worse it seemed, "Hermione wouldn't have left you if you had just been 'having lunch'. Now, I suggest that you leave."

Ron looked about to argue, but decided against it, turning on heel and flooing to the Burrow.

"Thank you." Hermione's soft voice came from behind Harry.

_And I heard you tell her you still love her  
So it doesn't matter what you say  
I saw it all  
From a table away  
Yes you're gonna stay  
A table away_

The next day, on the front page of the Daily Prophet, was a picture of Ron and Sophie, exclaiming to the Magical community of the United Kingdom that Ron had broken off his engagement to Hermione and was re-marrying Sophie.

Hermione ignored the sympathetic looks she got as she made her way to the store, she didn't want or need it. She held her head high, not letting anyone know what she was thinking. Sure, there was tons of speculations, all printed in the press, but nothing was ever verified.

She entered the store and walked over to the small café inside, smiling at Harry. The ebony haired man, stood up and pulled a chair out for her, kissing her cheek in greeting before the two started working on their book.

The store's co-owners watched as the two worked closely, knowing that it was only a matter of time (or days, as Lavender insisted) until the two finally took the step they should have taken when they were seventeen.

A year later, the front page headline of the Daily Prophet proclaimed the engagement of Harry James Potter and Hermione Jean Granger.


End file.
